Chain shackle and method of making the same



E. Y. MOORE. CHAIN SHACKLE AND METHOD OF MAKINGITHE SAME.

' APPLICATION FILED 050.20. 1920.

1 AZSE H, Patentefi July 18, 1922 EDVIARD Y. MOORE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

1,d23,24let.

Application filed December 20, 1920.

T all whom itimag concern Be it known that I, EDWARD Y. Moonn, a citizenof the United States, residing at Cleveland, in'the county of Ouyahogaand State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inChain Shackles and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a chain shackle and a method of making the same.One of the objects of the invention is to provide'a shackle which isadapted to be attached to the ordinary link of a standard chain and notrequire the use of an additional link of a different size. Thisconstruction allows the shackle to be readily .attached and detachedfrom any standard chain.

Another object is the provision of a device for universally connecting aload support to a chain by a means rendering it readily attachable anddetachable therefrom.

nother object is the provision of a device capable of fulfilling theabove objects and which is at the same time simple and composed of fewparts, whereby the cost of manufacture is considerably reduced and itsutility is at the same time increased.

Another object is the provision of such a shackle. made of a simplepiece of metal. Another object is to provide a new and improved methodof making such a shackle.

Other objects will be apparent in the course of the followingdescription and features of. novelty will be pointed out in the claims.j

Referring to the drawings in which a shackle made in accordance with myinvention is shown and the new and improved method of making the same isillustrated; Fig. 1 is a side view of my shackle in com pleted form andin operative position on a chain. Fig. 2, a similar view of the shackleduring the course of its manufacture, Fig.8, a fragmentary view takenfrom the left on Fi 1.

T0 represents the shackle member which comprises the enlarged middleportion or body 11, the arms, 12, extending fromthe opposite sidesthereof and having thickened portions 18 formed on their ends. Thismember 10 is a drop forging and when originally made, the portion 11 aswell as the ends 13 are solid, the opening 14; in body 11 beingsubsequently drilled therethrough.

Specification of Letters Patent.

upper end of portion 21 Patented July 18, 1922. Serial No. 431,880.

It will be noticed that the arms 12 adj acent their ends 13, asoriginally forged, are considerably separated. This is to enable thefastening of the shank of a load supportmg member or hook 20 to theshackle.

.The member 20 is provided with a shank having a portion 21 and an end22 of smaller diameter. On the other end of the portion 21 an enlargedshoulder 23 is formed. The enlarged portion 21 is of slightly greaterlength than the height of the body 11, and after the shank has beeninserted in the opening 14, the collar 30 is placed about the end 22.This end is then upset as shown at 24. It will be seen that theupsetting of the end 22 will clamp the collar 30 between the portion 24and the shoulder at the end of the enlarged portion 21, but on accountof the portion 21 being of greater length than the height of the member11,-the member 20 Wlll not be clamped to the member 11, but will beswivelled thereon.

When a load is placed on the support 20, the lower face of collar 30 andhence the the upper face of body 11, but on account of portion 21 beingof greater length than the height of body 11, there will be a spacebetween the shoulder 23 and the lower face of body 11, which is theposition shown in all the figures of the drawing.

It will benoticed that the upper faces 16 of ends are clear the link 51of the chain. The shackle may therefore be swung 011 40 as an axis andalso on the axis of its shank, so that the hook is universally connectedwith the chain.

The arms 12. above the tops of the collar are then bent inward adjacenteach other to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the openings 15 are thendrilled therein. The ends 18 should be placed at a distance, but veryslightly greater than the width of a standard chain with. which it is,designed to be used. The link now be inserted between the ends13, and abolt is passed through the openings 15 and the link 50, and may besecured in place by means of the nut- 4:1 and the cotter pin 42.

.The placing of the ends 18of the arms in close proximity to the sidesof the chain link will prevent the shackle from twistlng on the link. f

Formerly it has been the practice to provide a broader link forconnection between the arms of the shackle instead of inserting will beflush with:

beveled outwardly so as to 50 of such a chainmay an ordinary link of thechain therebetween. This arrangement, however, had many disadvantages,because it required either the transferring of the link from one chainto the other when it was desired to connect the shackle with anotherchain or the provision of a special link for each such chain. In spiteof these disadvantages, it was formerly considered necessary to use suchlink, because it will be seen that if the arms are left separated bysuch a distance, as that shown in Fig. 2, a great bending stress will beexerted on the bolt, if a link of small size is connected to it, and ofcourse, the bolt cannot be of any greater diameter than the opening inthe link, so that in such a construction the bolt would be immediatelybent out of shape, the openings about the same size as the itself.

On the other hand, in order to provide a swivelled connection betweenthe hook and the shackle, it is necessary to leave sufficient roombetween the arms to form this connection and the shank of the loadsupport cannot be reduced in size because it must be of sufficientstrength to carry a heavy load.

Another expedient which has been adopted in the past, in some instances,to overcome these difficulties has been the swivelling of the hook in amember trunnioned in the lower end of the shackle, but this expedientrequires making of the shackle in three separate parts consisting of thetwo arms and the member trunnioned between their lower ends as againstthe single piece shackle shown by the applicant. Besides this, thefitting of a trunnion in these members re quires additional boring ofholes in the lower ends of the arms and the turning down of cylindricaltrunnions on the intervening member, while my device provides ahorizontal pivoted axis for the shackle by merely fastening the bolt 40through the link of the chain.

The present invention, which has been devised after much experimentingand study of the disadvantages found to exist in the prior art, presentsa device which may be readily attached to an ordinary chain withoutrequiring the use of any additional member and may be as readilydetached. In addition to these advantages, applicants device may be verycheaply manufactured andis very simple, consisting, as pointed out, ofthe single integral shackle member. The method of construction also isvery simple, involving, after the shackle. has been forged, the mereboring of two openings and the upsetting of the shank on the collar.

in the link being stock of the link It should be understood that theapplicant does not confine himself to the details described inthespecification, to any further extent than is indicated by the claimswhen taken in connection withthe prior art, and

the specification is to be taken, therefore, as descriptive rather thanrestrictive.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of making a chain shackle which consists in forming amember having an enlarged body portion with an aperture therein andhaving arms extending upwardly therefrom, inserting the shank of aload-supporting device in the aperture, upsetting a portion of the shankabove the aperture, and thereafter the arm into close proximity witheach other.

2. The method of making a chain shackle which comprises forming a memberhaving an enlarged body portion and two separated arms, forming anopening through said body portion, placing in said opening the shank ofa load-supporting device, placing a collar on said shank above the body,upsetting the shank above the collar, and thereafter bending the ends ofsaid arms so that they lie over the collar and in proximity with eachother, and forming registering openings therein. r

3. The method of making a shackle which comprises drop forging a memberhaving an enlarged body portion and arms extending therefrom and havingenlarged ends, drilling an opening through said body. portion, insertingthe shank of a load-supporting device in said opening, securing a headon the shank thereafter, bending the ends of said arms adjacent eachother, and drilling registering openings therein.

l. The method of making a chain shackle which consists in drop forging amember having an enlarged body portion and arms extending upwardlytherefrom, drilling a hole in said body portion, inserting therein theshank of a hook, placing a collar .on said shank and upsetting the endof the shank thereon, bending the ends of the arms into close proximitywith each other so that they overhang the collar, and drillingregistering openings through the upper part of the arms.

5. A chain shackle comprising an enlarged body portion having an jopemngthrough it and spaced arms integral with said body portion and extendingupwardly from the side surface thereof on opposite sides of saidopening, said arms having their upper ends bent inwardly into closeproximity to each other.

6. In a device of the class described, a shackle having an enlarged bodyportion, an opening in said body, a shank swiveled in said opening,integral arm s extending upwardly from said body portion, and havingtheir ends bent inwardly into close proximity to each other, and a boltpassing through said ends.

7. In combination, a standard chain, a

bending the ends of.

- shank swiveled in shackle having an enlarged body portion and armsextending upwardly and inwardly therefrom, and having their inner endsseparated by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a link ofsaid chain, said chain having a link extending between the ends of saidshackle, a bolt passing through registering openings in said ends andthrough said link, and a load-supporting device swiveled in said bodyportion.

8. In combination, a standard chain, an

integral shackle having an enlarged body portion and arms extendingupwardly therefrom and bent inwardly adjacent to their upper ends, saidends being separated by a distance slightly greater than the thicknessof a link of said chain, said chain having a link extending between theends of said shackle, a bolt passing through registering openings insaid ends and through said link, and a load supporting device having asaid body portion.

9. In a device of the class described a shackle having an enlarged bodyportion, an opening in said body, a shank swiveled 111 said opening andextending above it, a-

collar on the shank above the body, the shank having a head thereonabove the collar, integral arms extending upwardly from the sides ofsaid body portion and having their ends bent inwardly above said and abolt passing through said ends.

10. In combination, a chain, an integral shackle having an enlarged bodyportion and arms extending upwardly therefrom and then inwardly to bringtheir ends into such proximity that they are separated by a distanceslightly greater than the thickness of a link of said chain, said chainhaving a link extending between the ends of said shackle, a bolt passingthrough registering openings in said ends and through said link, a hookhaving a shank extending through an opening in the body portion, and acollar on the shank above the body portion, and between the arms belowtheir inward bends, the collar.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

EDWARD Y. MOORE.

collar,

the shank being upset above.

